The SAK fish-shell scrapers what are they?
Everyone that is into Swiss Army Knives knows that there are some tools that many wonder what is used
for and how. It is also called fish scaler or shell scaler.
I will explain my feel on this tool used on Victorinox and Wenger knives. First to mention is that there are many variations on this tool
itself in history.
Some fish in saltwater or freshwater got shells on the skin and this must be removed if you are going to fry it and eat the skin. It is not comfortable to chew on shells and they
do not taste well either. Some also use the scraper on fish with little or no shells or on a skin type that can be eaten without further cleaning. This is done to do a light cleaning on skin itself without a brush. By just using the scraper lightly over the
skin you remove substances and dirt. Then rinse and you can fry it. It is possible to use the knife blade and the edge for this too; both scraping shells and clean the skin.
Another very interesting
detail is the tip on this tool. The notch is called a hook disgorger and it is used in the old style to remove a hook from a fish and especially one in the mouth. By just pushing the hook inwards then it will come loose and you can pull it out with the help
of the tip. Sometimes this is easier said than done because if the hook is in bone you need to push harder, you can also do a light twist motion. On the picture is the absolute largest type of hook that can be removed with this tool. That is with comfort and
without damaging the tool. You have probably seen on old fishing gear used by the older guys that they have a stick with a notch on the tip. It is used on treble hooks or single hooks on larger gear and lures. The problem with treble hooks is when you push
it in further that it may hook on again when you pull it out. A plier works best for this.
The tools on SAK are for smaller fish and it can be used inland or at sea with good result. There is also
on some of them a line guide but I have not used this much.
Sometimes it is more comfortable to use the fish-shell scraper and not the blade edge to remove shells because it is designed for this
and it will not damage the skin.
It is important to clean the function after use and it can take use around saltwater without any problem. Both Victorinox and Wenger are so.
A magnetic tip has been used in history!
The ruler on them can be useful…